Our customer Gwen Eager has been coming to Cloud 9 Foot Spa for half a year now and gets foot massages weekly. We are so happy for Gwen because this has been a very exciting year for her. She got engaged in January, was married in April, and is now expecting her first child! Gwen and her husband, Ryan’s’ new bundle of joy will be here in January!
Gwen is a very kind and thoughtful woman who is originally from Illinois. She has been living in Houston for the past 4 years and has a Master’s degree in Child Development. She works for a company called Garden of Life, which is a digestive health company that is focused on encouraging individuals to embrace a healthy lifestyle by providing health tips, articles, recipes, and USDA certified organic supplements. The company sells products called Kind Organics which was developed with the actress Alicia Silverstone as a partner. The company has their own magazine, called the Extraordinary Health Magazine which Gwen was featured in, in the November (Volume 22) edition. Gwen is the Garden of Life’s Regional Educator which entails providing education about the company’s products, conducting demonstrations throughout the Houston area, teaching cooking classes, and developing and providing a lot of the recipes that are included in the companies’ website, tutorials, and magazine.
Gwen is also a Certified Raw Vegan Chef who, as you can imagine, is very health conscious. She usually walks 2 miles a day (while pregnant!) and often takes bike rides with her husband. Prior to her pregnancy, she did a lot of yoga and PX90. Since she is so dedicated to health and fitness, we asked her how why she feels getting weekly massages is part of an overall health and self-care care regimen. Gwen said, “balance is key; it’s not just about eating right and it’s not just about working out; you really have to do both to get optimal results AND you need to take time for self care and relaxation.” She continued by saying, “for me, a weekly massage helps with keeping my stress levels down.” We asked her what kind of symptoms she has had since she has been pregnant and she replied that she has had some bad lower back pain, tightness in her neck, and insomnia. She explained that weekly massages have helped alleviate those symptoms and said, “I find that I sleep much better after getting a massage.” We asked her if there were any other benefits she received from getting weekly massages and she said, “I always leave feeling better physically and emotionally.”
We asked Gwen why she chose Cloud 9 Foot Spa and she said,
once I moved to Houston, I had to find somewhere that was affordable and that had professional therapists. Could 9 is everything I was looking for; it’s a warm, welcoming, peaceful, clean environment.
We noted that she always requests Jennifer as her massage therapist and asked why. Gwen explained that her mother is a massage therapist in Illinois and as a result, she grew up getting massages once a week from her. Gwen said:
I’ve tried a few therapists [at Cloud 9 Foot Spa], and they were all excellent but the one therapist I really connected with is Jennifer. Jennifer’s touch and peacefulness reminds me of my mom and that is why she is my favorite. She is very nurturing and intuitive. I get a massage from Jennifer once a week and if I could, I would go every day! She specializes in pregnancy massage, which is what I need.
Jennifer just went to Gwen’s baby shower a few weeks ago, and we told her all of the warm things that Gwen said about her. Jennifer smiled and said, “Gwen is just a really good person; she is very, very nice”. Jennifer said that Gwen even gave her a get well card when she wasn’t feeling well and was out sick. Jennifer stated that she really likes being able to help Gwen through massage because it is good for the mother and the baby.
We noted that a lot of pregnant women come to Cloud 9 to get massages to relieve their muscle tension, foot swelling, and stress. We asked Gwen if she had any tips for fellow expecting mothers. Gwen said, “I would tell them to take care of yourself and your baby by eating healthy, enjoying some relaxation time, exercising, and focusing on the positives of life. Having a good attitude makes a huge difference in how you view circumstances in your life, pregnant or not.” She also recommended that pregnant women should increase their fish oil and probiotic intake during pregnancy.” Gwen explained that “taking a probiotic will help establish healthy bacteria in your body and your baby’s which is crucial for digestive and immune health.” She said, “I take an Omega 3 supplement called ‘Minami’ and Garden of Life makes the best probiotics around!” We asked Gwen how else she is preparing for her baby’s arrival. She joked and said that she has avoided spending too much time on the internet looking for answers about baby-related topics because it can be overwhelming and stressful with the amount of information that is out there. Instead she has been speaking with women in her family that she trusts and her doula (birthing coach). She said, “of course I know there are big challenges in being a new mom, but I want to focus on the positives.” From what we see at Cloud 9, that is great advice from a great person!
We know Gwen is going to be an amazing mother and wish her all the happiness in the world.
